Founded in 1995, the Irish Offshore Operators’ Association (IOOA) is the representative organisation for the Irish offshore oil and gas industry. Its members are companies licensed by the Government to explore for and produce oil and gas in Irish waters.

The IOOA provides a forum in which its member companies work together to identify and tackle issues facing Ireland’s offshore industry. By cooperating and providing a common approach to issues such as safety, the environment, legislation and employment, the IOOA pro-actively assists in the development of oil and gas exploration and production in Ireland’s waters.

It is the policy of IOOA members to afford full and fair opportunity to qualified Irish suppliers to compete for the supply of resources and services to IOOA members and their contractors, and to ensure that Irish suppliers are not disadvantaged in competing for such opportunities. The Association also provides a focal point for liaison between companies participating in Ireland’s oil and gas industry and other stakeholders and organisations, such as the fishing industry, environmental bodies, regulatory authorities and Government.

IOOA’s role is to bring together and draw upon our members’ different expertise and experience, so that we can make a constructive contribution to national dialogue and play a valuable role in the development of Ireland’s economy and the Irish offshore industry.

Irish Offshore Petroleum Industry

Successful development of the Irish offshore petroleum industry would deliver:

Tax Revenue

A single major oilfield off the west coast would deliver some €16 billion in tax over its life. This is after deducting off all costs associated with discovering and developing the field. This figure is taken from an independent study commissioned by the DCENR.

Jobs

The development of the Corrib gas field sustained more than 1000 jobs in north Mayo during the construction phase. Now on stream, Corrib will sustain approximately 150 high-quality, long term jobs for the life of the field over the next 15-20 years. The Kinsale Head Gasfield has directly provided some 120 jobs in the Cork area since 1978.

Energy Security

For many years Ireland has imported all of its oil and 95% of its gas through a single point in the UK. Gas supply in the UK and North West Europe is already tight. On stream since December 2015, Corrib will help to meet up to 60% of Ireland’s gas needs at peak.

It is clearly in everyone’s interest that exploration offshore Ireland is encouraged and accelerated